Page 113 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911_Neat

AD!tfN. REFT. OF THE FERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY FOR 1900 1907. 11

CHAPTER L—BUSHIRE AND FARS ADMINISTRATION REPORT, 1906-
1907.

Bubhire.
The administrative yeaT opened auspiciously with the arrival at Bushire of
His Excellency, Vice-Admiral Sir Edmund
Visit of the Admiral.
Poe. K.C.V.O., Ccmmander-in-Chief of the
East Indies Station, in his Flagship. H. M. S. Hermes. His Excellency’s tour was
in every wav successful and was marred by no unpleasant incident. At Bushiie
visits were exchanged with the Governor (His Excellency the Darya Begi) who
acceded to the Resident’s suggestion that he should call officially upon the Admiral
on the Flagship, instead of at the Residency as heretofore ; and on the Admiral’s
return visit treated His Excellency with every distinction and had him escorted back
to the Sabzabad Residency by some 50 Sowars. The Foreign representatives,
apparently pursuing the doctrine which they are always disposed to cultivate, of not
recognising the status oi the Government of India in Persia, refused an invitation
from the Resident to an official dinner party to Sir Edmund Poe and Staff, but
met His Excellency at a garden party at the Sabzabad Residency on the following
day, and subsequently the Prussian Consui-'General, among others of the commu­
nity, availed themselves of the Admiral’s kind invitation to lunch on the Flagship.
On the conclusion of bis visit Sir Edmund Poe proceeded to Bussorah in
R. I. M. S. Lawrence, and having met the Flagship again on emerging from the
Shatt-el-Arab visited Koweit and ©ahreksi a-txitviapaniedby the Resident. A short
visit was also paid to the Khor Abdullah.
In matters connected with the Customs Administration, under the regime of
Moiasae-ur Heynssens. the Residency had
Customs
every reason as last year to appreciate the
conciliatory attitude both of the Director and his Assistant, Monsieur Constant, and
there has been an entire absence sxf friction. Unfortunately Monsieur Heynssens’
somewhat austere methods in dealing with the native element excited the hostility
of the Persian public, and in Augusta <£ispnte between his staff and some of the local
lightermen having been taken up by certain Mullahs a protracted feud was started
which primarily accounted for the transfer both of the Darya Begi and of Hoosienz ’
Heynssens from Bushire a few months
Monsieur Heynssens appears afl along to have been possessed by the belief
that His Excellency the Darya Begi was really the deus ex raachina of a plot against
him. but though the Governor could hardly pretend to have any special regard for
the Belgian Administrators since whose arrival his position has been rendered :
extremely subservient and undignified, there was little apparent evidence either in
His Excellency’s conduct or conversation to lend corroboration to Monsieur Heyns -
sens’ suspicions. Relations however gradually became so strained that it whs
clearly impossible that Bushiie should continue to hold both officials and shortly
afterwards (apparently owing Xxs> tihe representations of Monsieur Kaus who had
framed a vehement indictment -against the I>aiya Begi as an arch smuggler) it
transpired that His Excellency was about to be replaced bv Haji Saeed-es-
Sultaneh, lately Chief-of-Police in Tehran.
Chinge of Governors.
It was not however until 30th January
that after the interchange of numerous communications with Tehran Hi*
Excellency finally left for the capital
Calling at the Residency just (before his departure he expressed the belief
the swing of the pendulum would Boon bring him Hari-
His successor, a young man hailing from Northern Persia and possesshi* no
previous expen ence of Govern naeat >ar Persian Gulf conditions and politics.
a °° “Ptothee“<3 °f thW «*
3147 F. D.
c*